Teaching Dallas Children to Bring Nature to the Community

NAME: Jenna Hanson

LOCATION: Dallas, TX

ORGANIZATION: Trinity River Audubon Center

Jenna Hanson loves that the new Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas, Texas, exists for the public. But while she wants everyone in Dallas to enjoy the Center, she’s determined that people living in the diverse communities immediately surrounding it should benefit most from its presence.

The Trinity River Audubon Center opened in the fall of 2008 and features 120 acres of urban forest and an eco-friendly education building. After assessing visitation to the Center for the first year, Jenna learned that less than one percent of the Center’s guests were residents of the surrounding neighborhood, even though admission is free for people living in that zip code.

With her TogetherGreen Conservation Fellowship, Jenna will teach neighborhood children to serve as environmental educators for the surrounding community, with the goal of encouraging people of all ages, ethnicities, and occupations to visit, enjoy, and hopefully learn to care about the Center!

Jenna will launch the Junior Audubon Society of Dallas, a club for 4th and 5th graders. Club members will help plan and participate in conservation action at the Center, such as learning birding techniques, restoring critical shrubland habitat, and building nest boxes for threatened bird species. Students will deliver presentations about their land restoration project to an audience of 50-100 people from the community. They’ll also lead a night hike to the different nesting boxes so guests can see their work.

Not only will Jenna’s TogetherGreen project help students take action to protect the environment, it will also give them a true sense of accomplishment and pride in their community. She hopes these kids will become environmental leaders – and continue to visit and volunteer at the Center for years to come.